The Start of Something New
by Silkmouse
Summary: It's been two years since the end of the Black and White chapter, and many things have changed for Black; including the way he feels about White.


**First of all, I'd like to say no I'm not dead. I haven't written anything in a long time because my muse went on an unexpected vacation, but has now returned in the form of my best friend.**

**I know this isn't really canon due to the events from the end of the Black and White chapter in Pokémon Adventures, and hopefully that'll be cleared up by the end of the Black 2 and White 2 chapter.**

**So I'm a huge Black and White shipper, and one of my friends is too, so I thought I'd write a cute short story about them. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon (I hate doing these things)**

Black leaned his back against the thick trunk of the tree outside of his house and exhaled in exasperation.

Where was White? She told him two week ahead of time that she would be coming to Nuvema Town for a visit. It would mark the first time he had seen her in nearly two years, and he was anxious to see her in person again. Sure they had had discussions on the Xtransciever, but it wasn't the same thing as talking to a real live person. White told him she would arrive sometime between 10:30 and 11:00 and it was now almost 11:35.

Black sighed; he had kept his pokémon in their poke balls just in case he and White ended up going somewhere else to catch up. Since White was already late and he wasn't sure when she would show up, he decided to let them out and roam free around the yard. he opened the poke balls attached to his belt and released his team of five: Brav, Musha, Tula, Costa, and Bo. They looked around expectantly for White and her pokémon, and glanced at Black with puzzled expressions when she was nowhere to be seen.

"She's not here yet." He told them, disappointment coloring his voice.

Bo, Tula, and Costa seemed satisfied with his answer, but Brav and Musha; the two pokémon who had known him the longest, noticed his disappointment and gazed at him questioningly.

"I just-" He floundered, seeing the true meaning behind those stares "Miss her that's all."

Brav and Musha didn't seem convinced, but decided not to press Black further, which Black was grateful for since it gave him time to think.

The truth was, he wasn't entirely sure White would show. Every minute he couldn't see her silhouette approaching, his hope that she would come dwindled to almost nothing. After all, White was the CEO of BW Pokémon Talent Agency and the girl-in-charge of the Nimbasa City musicals, so she was always super busy.

What is she wasn't able to get the day off and just forgot to tell him? Or she decided she didn't want to come visit him after all? What if he was just still an employee in her mind? He knew he was devoted to helping White fulfill her dream of helping pokémon realize their potential in show business, but at what cost? Was it worth it to be seen as an employee and nothing more?

Black paused as he realized what had just passed through his mind. _More? _He knew he was her friend as well as her employee for the Agency, but since when did he want to be more to her? The thought of it made him blush slightly. He hoped his hat shaded his face enough so that his pokémon didn't see.

_Did _he want more between him and White? He thought hard about it. The last thing he wanted to do was rush recklessly into a decision (which he had been told was one of his flaws) and ruin the friendship they had.

His pokémon's outcries interrupted his thoughts as he turned his head toward the entrance of town, with renewed hope that White had finally arrived.

A small figure appeared in the distance, and was approaching fast, but he still couldn't tell if it was White or not. The familiar cry if White's mandibuzz sounded from overhead, and perched on the branch of the tree above Black's head.

"Hey Barbara." He greeted "Where's White?"

Barbara gestured her head to the town entrance. Black turned, and what he saw immediately erased all doubt from his mind.

White was riding her spring sawsbuck into Nuvema in a full gallop. She slowed to a stop a little further away, and leaped off Darling's back.

"White!" Black exclaimed.

"Black!" White cried, breaking into a run.

She rammed into him in an almost bone crushing hug. They stayed like that for a few seconds, reveling in each other's presence. It was only when Black realized the proximity of their bodies, and how much he was enjoying it that he broke the hug.

"So how are you?" He asked, trying to hide the blush that appeared on his face.

"Well work has been really stressful." She answered "So that's why I decided to take a small vacation and come visit."

Black's pokémon approached White in excitement, while she released the rest of her team. Soon, 11 pokémon were running free around Black and White.

"I'm so happy to see you all!" White exclaimed as Tula, Musha, Brav, Bo, and Costa clustered around her in anticipation.

"Hey, Amanda. Dorothy. Nancy. Sally. Darling. Barbara." Black said, greeting all of White's pokémon in turn "How's show business?"

They gave him slightly melancholy stares.

"Why the long faces?" Black asked White.

"They've been itching for a battle." White explained "And I don't usually have enough free time to train them regularly."

"Well maybe later we can have a battle." Black told them in an effort to lift their spirits "But for now you should enjoy your day off and relax."

Their expressions immediately cheered up when he said this and they looked at White hopefully.

"Well...I guess we could have a battle later." White consented "But we might be kind of rusty.

"That's alright. If we have time, I'll help you get refamiliar with battling." He offered.

White smiled at him, and Black was surprised that he had never noticed just how cute she looked when she smiled. He snapped out of his trance when he realized she had started talking to him.

"-sorry I was late. I was getting everything together so that the business would run smoothly while I was gone, and I lost track of time. I had to leave my Xtransceiver at home, so I wouldn't be constantly calling work while I was with you."

"S-so do you wanna go get a Castelia cone?" Black asked, swallowing hard. Why was he so nervous around her all of a sudden?

"In a little bit. Right now I just want to enjoy my time with you." She said, smiling again. Was it just his imagination, or were her cheeks a little bit pinker than before?

She sat down on the grass and leaned against the trunk of the tree, breathing in the fresh air. Black blinked and followed her lead, sitting down next to her close enough so that their shoulders were touching. They sat there for a while, watching their pokémon play with each other.

Black turned his head to look at her more closely; after all he hadn't seen her in two years. The first thing he noticed was her long wavy, chestnut brown hair. It had grown quite a bit in the last two years, and for a moment he had the strangest urge to touch it and see if it was really as soft as it looked.

To stop himself from reaching over and touching her ponytail, he decided to focus on something else, so his gaze moved to her face instead. She was watching the pokémon in front of them, and when she blinked he noticed her long eyelashes and how they complimented her wide blue eyes. She had filled out since he had last seen her, having more curves then he remembered around the chest and hip areas.

He quickly turned away when he saw where his thoughts were going. He was a 16 year old boy for Arceus's sake, but he was appalled with himself for thinking "that" way about White for even a moment.

"Are you okay Black?" He heard her ask him "Your face is kind of red."

"I'm f-fine. I-it's just kind of h-hot out here." He answered, flustered and pulling on the neck of his jacket.

"Would you like to get that Castelia cone now?" She inquired.

"Y-yes!" He answered quickly, eager to change the subject.

"Then let's go!" She said cheerfully "We're packing up team!" she called to the pokémon.

She and Black returned all their pokémon back into their poke balls except for White's mandibuzz and Black's braviary.

When they were airborne; Black tried to think of something to say, anything to say. "So, uh, how does it fell to get away from the city for a day?" he asked, then mentally smacked himself. What kind of poor conversation starter was that?

"It feels nice." She answered "I had been stuck inside so long, I almost forgot how good the fresh air felt."

Black started to ask her how work was going, when he was interrupted by an excited outcry from White.

"Look, Striaton City!" She pointed to the landscape below them "We should stop at the restaurant for lunch!"

Black felt his stomach grumble. In anticipating White's visit, he remembered he forgot to eat breakfast this morning. And it _was _around lunch time.

"Sure, let's go." He agreed "Then we can get a Castelia Cone after."

Brav and Barbara descended toward the city below, and let Black and White off in front of the famous Striaton restaurant, and were returned to their poke balls.

When Black and White stepped inside, they were surrounded by an energetic trio of brothers.

"Welcome." Greeted Cilan "What can we get for you today?"

"Unless you're here for a gym battle." Interrupted Chili "We regret to inform you that this is no longer a gym, but solely a restaurant."

"Table for two please." Black asked them.

"Hello Black." Greeted Cress "Haven't seen you here since your gym battle a few years ago. Is this your girlfriend?" he asked, looking at White.

"N-no." Black said, turning red.

"We're just friends." White told the triplets, looking quite flustered herself.

Despite nodding to back up her statement; Black felt something inside his heart die a little when she said that.

"So a lunch between friends then; this way to your table please." Cress said, directing them to a small two seated table in the middle of the restaurant.

Black pulled White's chair out for her before sitting in his own.

"Good job, pulling the chair out for the lady." Chili said to Black, winking "If she's not your girlfriend now, she will be soon."

"Stop it you two." Cilan chastised his brothers when he noticed their patron's faces turn bright red. Cilan quickly handed them their menus before dragging his siblings off to the kitchen.

Black hid his reddened face behind his menu so that hopefully White wouldn't notice. While looking at his menu and waiting for his face to return to its normal color; one of the brothers (he didn't dare look up to see which one though) set two cups of the restaurant's signature tea on their table before heading back to the kitchen.

When he was sure the waiter had left and his blush had abated, he set his menu down and picked up his cup of tea. "So." He said between sips "How's work going?"

"The business itself is doing great." She said "But overall it's really a lot to handle juggling both the musical and the Agency."

"Why don't you let someone else take care of the musical?" He questioned, although he suspected he already knew the answer.

"I know I shouldn't take more than I can handle, but the pokémon musical is my project, and I don't want anyone to take it from me." She told him, slumping in her chair "There's no one that I really trust enough to take proper care of it for me."

Watching her despair from across the table, he felt a sudden need to comfort her. Before he could register what he was doing; he set down his cup and reached over the table to grab her hand.

White froze, staring at their joined hands, her face turning pink. Black swallowed, and seriously considered taking his hand away while stammering out an apology, but refused to let his nervousness get the better of him this time.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." He reassured her "It's part of what makes you such a great business woman. You don't let these kinds of things slow you down, and you're passionate about show business. You'll pull through."

White's cheeks turned an even darker pink. She started to say something, when Cress showed up next to their table.

Black released her hand as if it were a hot poker and stuck his arm in his jacket pocket, lowering his head so his cap hid his face entirely.

Cress raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on what he had just witnessed between his customers. "What can I get you?" he asked them.

"Uh, um." White stammered "I'll have the mixed berry salad with lemonade please."

"And I'll have a plate of seasoned Kalos fries with a soda." Black said to him.

Cress nodded, writing down their requests on his notepad "We'll be right back with your orders." he announced before leaving Black and White alone once again.

Black cleared his throat, trying to think of something to break the silence.

"How are things at home?" She asked him, the hand he had been holding, now clutching the table cloth.

He frowned slightly, not exactly sure how to answer that. "Good, I guess. We've been training more with wild pokémon, but it's not the same as battling someone." His heart was screaming for him to let her know just how much he had missed her company; but something stopped him. What if she didn't feel the same way? She said she had missed him, but did she mean it in "that" way, or in a "we're -just-friends" way?

He exhaled a breath he didn't know he had been holding in, and it came out as a distressed sigh. He couldn't deny it anymore; he _did_ have feelings for White, he just didn't know what to do with these feelings. He didn't want to scare her away when they were just getting to see each other again after do long.

"Black? Are you okay?" She asked, looking at him with concern.

"Yeah I'm fine." He lied "Just...thinking."

"About what?" She inquired.

He blanked. _Fudge sauce!_ What should he say? He needed to come up with something convincing enough to change the topic. "Um, just about how far my team has come in the last two years, since ya know, the whole confrontation with N and Team Plasma." he said saying the first thing that popped into his head, he started sweating a bit, hoping that White wouldn't press him further, when he was saved by the sight of Chili heading towards their table with two trays in his hand "Oh, look our food is here!" Black exclaimed, mentally thanking Chili for his timing.

"Here's the order for the lovebirds!" Chili proclaimed loudly as he approached.

Black's gratitude immediately turned vengeful when he realized why Chili had referred to them as "lovebirds". _Cress blabbed. _He thought, clenching his fist.

"I have a mixed berry salad with lemonade for the lady." He said, setting White's order in front of her "And a plate of seasoned Kalos fries and a soda for her gentleman." he smirked, setting Black's plate down.

Black expected him to say something else obnoxious, but miraculously he left without another word.

Black proceeded to munch on his Kalos fries to discourage any more questions White might asked him.

While crunching on a few Kalos fries, Black watched White eat her salad; noticing how the air conditioning vent above them blew some of the loose wavy strands of hair around her face. For the second time that day he felt the urge to reach over and touch her hair, but kept his hands to himself, since that would undoubtedly freak her out and ruin any chances he might've had with her.

White took a break from her salad to take a sip of her lemonade, and Black sat there mesmerized as he watched her mouth approach her glass, wondering what it would be like to-

He snapped himself out of his trance and switched his gaze to his half-finished plate, trying to clear his mind before his thoughts could wander back to White, which would most likely lead to some "interesting" ideas on his part. _Stupid overactive teenage hormones._ He cursed.

To distract himself from the scene in front of him, he occupied himself by looking around the restaurant. He saw the patrat performing girl on the stage, with her troupe that had previously occupied the Driftveil Drawbridge. She was currently performing her "find the patrat with the mushroom" routine on a confused customer, who was trying to keep up with the pokémon's movements. Black looked toward the kitchen, and immediately wished he hadn't after what he saw.

Chili, Cress, and even Cilan were peeking out the small kitchen window, and were obviously spying on Black and White's table. Their faces disappeared from the window as soon as they noticed Black staring daggers at them, which caught the attention of White.

"What are you looking at?" White inquired, turning her head in the same direction.

"Uh, I thought I saw something in the kitchen." He answered, which was technically true.

She gave him a puzzled look, and continued eating her salad; while Black busied himself eating the rest of his fries to avoid any more awkward situations. When they were finished, Cilan brought over their check, which was promptly paid for by White.

"You don't have to do that." Black told her.

"Lunch was my idea." She insisted, pulling out a Unova platinum debit card and handing the checkbook to Cilan. "It's the least I could do."

Black was still skeptical, but let her do what she wished. Telling himself that he would pay for their Castelia Cones later.

When Cilan brought their receipt, he was joined by his brothers in saying good bye. "Thank you for coming." Cilan bowed.

"Thank you for choosing Striaton Restaurant." Cress continued "Please come again."

"Have a nice afternoon." Chili winked at them.

Black resisted the urge to smack Chili upside the head, deciding to walk out before he could perform the impulse. On his way through the door he heard sharp cries of pain from Cress and Chili "Ow! Cilan what did you pinch us for?" Black smiled slightly in satisfaction, mentally thanking Cilan. When they were outside, they released Barbara and Brav, and made their way flying to Castelia City.

While in the air, Black contemplated telling White about his feelings for her, but he didn't know how. The day was quickly coming to a close; soon White would be going back to Nimbasa City, and he might not see her again for a long time. He didn't think he could stand knowing how he felt about her, and not get to see her for months at a time.

They passed over Nacrene City, SkyArrow Bridge, and finally over Castelia City, where they landed in front of the Pokémon Center.

"It feels weird to be this close to Nimbasa and not be working." White said to herself as she and Black walked down the busy sidewalk to the Castelia Cone stand.

They walked side by side in awkward silence, their shoulders occasionally brushing against each other, causing Black's face to heat up. He wished he knew how she would react to him holding her hand, but he figured it would only distance her from him if he did, and continued to let his arm hang by his side instead.

When they got to the stand, they stood in the rather fast moving line, but Black insisted that White sit at one of the little tables the stand had set up while he got the ice cream. Really he just wanted a minute to regain his composure and think about what he was going to say; so he was relieved when she consented and left the line.

He took a deep breath and let it out, sticking his hands in his pockets. All of a sudden he felt one of the poke balls attached to his belt start rattling to get his attention. He plucked it off his belt and looked at his breviary questioningly. Brav gestured to White with his wing and then stared intently at Black.

Black sighed in defeat. Even his pokémon were trying to set him up with White. "I'm going to say something." he told Brav in a hushed voice.

Brav gave him a skeptical look, to which Black scowled slightly "I am." he insisted. The other poke balls at his belt rattled in agreement with Brav, as if they were saying "Well hurry up and say it before she leaves."

"Okay, okay. Give me a few minutes." Black said to them in an attempt to calm them down. Noticing it was his turn in line, he quickly reattached Brav's poke ball to his belt and ordered his and White's cones to take to the table. "Thanks." he told the lady behind the counter, who smiled at him in return.

He brought the swirled cones to the table White was sitting at and handed her a Castelia Cone. The act caused their hands to brush against each other, which sent a warm sensation up his arm, and spread to his whole body.

He attempted to casually pull his hand away, and started working on his cone. His nervousness compelled him to consume the desert rather rapidly, and he was finished before White had even reached her waffle cone. He sat there "twiddling his thumbs" so to speak while White finished her ice cream, thinking hard about what he was going to say to her.

_Hey White I really like you, and I don't want you to leave?_ Nah, too desperate. _So White, what would you say if I told you I had a crush on you?_ Too vague. _White, I like you, wanna go out?_ Too demanding. Nothing sounded right and would probably come out wrong if he said them out loud.

"Black?" He heard White's voice ask "Are you okay? You've been acting really distracted today."

He took a deep breath; he was just going to have to wing it, and hope that he didn't sound like an idiot. _Here I go._ "No White, I'm not really okay." he admitted.

"Is there anything I can do?" she inquired, looking worried. She was so cute when she was worried; he thought.

Just like he had previously done back at the restaurant (with the exception of knowing what he was doing this time) he reached across the table and grabbed her free hand. "White-" he started, choking a bit on his next words. "I really like you. I think I always have. I just- didn't realize it until you had already left. So; I guess what I'm trying to say is-" he hesitated "will you stay and go out with me?"

White seemed shocked and was quiet for a few moments, as if she didn't know what to say.

Black prepared himself for the worst possible response.

"Black." She whispered.

He waited for her to say no, for her to turn him down.

"I'd love to." She said.

He lifted his head in surprise 'You would?"

"But," She began.

His heart sank "But, what?"

"I was also going to ask you to come work for me at the Agency again." She told him.

He was confused "So is that a yes or a no?" he asked, trying to get some clarity from her.

"It's a yes." She told him. 'But not now. I want to spend some more time with you before we go on an official date."

Black was still puzzled. So she liked him; but wanted to wait to go out with him?

White saw the confused look on his face, and decided to clear it up a bit for him. "I do want to go on a date with you. But I'd like you to come work for me at BW Agency so we can see each other more often than we would if you continued to live in Nuvema Town." and just to seal the deal she leaned over the table and gave him a swift kiss on the lips.

Black's lips continued to tingle even after she pulled away, completely stunned by the day's events and the sense of euphoria coursing through his body from his head to his toes.

"So what do you say?" She asked him, setting down the long forgotten Castelia cone and taking both his hands in hers.

He looked into her wide, hopeful, blue eyes; and he realized that she wasn't going to leave him again. This time, he was going with her to start a new adventure; together, just like they used to. It was the start of something new between him and White. He held her hands a little tighter, and leaned forward so their foreheads were touching as he whispered his answer.

"Whatever you say boss."

**Ta-da! I'm actually pretty proud of myself with this, although it was a little hard to write the character of Black. And did anyone notice how I put Kalos fries instead of French fries…. Because ya know….Kalos is based on France…. Nothing? Well I knew it was dumb but I had to put it in there anyway.**

**BTW: There will probably be a sequel at some point once I get ahead enough in my Phoenix Wright 100 theme challenge.**


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